Pilgrimage of the 20 Exceptional Temples of Shikoku Guide

Pilgrimage of the 20 Exceptional Temples of Shikoku (四国別格二十霊場) is a formal grouping created in 1968 that gathers twenty temples regarded as extra sites linked to Kūkai (Kobo Daishi). The grouping was established as a companion to the long‑standing Shikoku 88‑temple circuit; together the two circuits make 108 temples, a total explicitly promoted as having symbolic resonance with the 108 human passions.

Origins and intent

The twenty temples were drawn from the many sites on Shikoku associated with Kūkai that had been treated as bangai (extra) pilgrimage stops. In 1968 these twenty were inaugurated as a distinct pilgrimage circuit. The pilgrimage association that oversees the grouping presents the two circuits—Shikoku 88 and the 20 exceptional temples—as complementary: when visited together they total 108 temples, an intended symbolic correspondence to 108 bonnō (worldly passions).

Typical touring patterns and timing notes

The pilgrimage can be approached in several established ways. Pilgrims commonly: finish the Shikoku 88 first and then circulate the 20 exceptional temples; visit the 20 by detouring during an 88‑temple circuit; start with the 20 and then do the 88; or visit only the 20. The association recognises all these patterns.

On foot, some sections of path that connect these temples can become difficult or impassable after natural hazards or when paths revert to scrub; certain temples near mountain summits may be hard to reach in winter because of snow. For those using a vehicle, the association notes that a full circuit of the twenty temples is generally completed in about four days, and experienced drivers sometimes do it in three days.

Stamps, visitation slips and prayer beads

The pilgrimage keeps the same customs of temple stamps and commemorative slips. The colour of the pilgrimage visitation slip (osame‑fuda) is not changed by how many times a pilgrim has visited; instead colours are allocated by pilgrim rank. Ordinary pilgrims use white slips; successive official guide ranks use yellow, green, red, silver, gold and a brocade pattern respectively.

Each temple issues a temple‑name bead (nenju‑dama). There are three bead types offered across the circuit—men’s, women’s and a rosewood type—and the large parent bead for any of the three types is supplied from the pilgrimage association chairman’s temple. Collecting one bead at each temple yields twenty beads plus the parent bead (21 items), which together form a one‑handed rosary.

Finishing the circuit and the gratitude visit

Visiting all twenty temples constitutes a formal completion of the circuit (ketsugan). After completion many pilgrims perform a gratitude visit (orei‑mairi): the pilgrimage tradition names two principal places for this visit—Kongobu‑ji at Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture (distinct from the Okunoin) and To‑ji (Kyo‑o‑gokoku‑ji) in Minami Ward, Kyoto. Pilgrims may visit either Kongobu‑ji or To‑ji, or both, and receive nōkyō (temple stamp) there as part of the thank‑you observance.

The pilgrimage association issues a completion certificate (mangan‑shō, a certificate in the form of an award) that can be obtained at any of the pilgrimage temples. Although the gratitude visit is not a mandatory rule, official nōkyō‑chō and similar books include an entry for the gratitude visit and undertaking it is the general practice.

Certified guides and the senior‑guide system

The pilgrimage maintains an official system of certified guides (先達). Appointment and promotion follow defined requirements of pilgrimage experience and participation in association training. Key points of the system: new certified guides must have completed at least three pilgrimages; subsequent promotions require minimum intervals after appointment plus cumulative totals of pilgrimage and training participation (the sequence of cumulative participation thresholds cited in the association rules is 8, 15 and 25); specific minimum years between promotions are set at stages in the progression; senior ranks require minimum ages and association approval; certain top ranks are limited in number by the association.

Training sessions and association convocations count toward promotion: participants receive a sticker as proof, and each such participation is treated as equivalent to one pilgrimage for promotion calculations. A recent revision to the rules allows cumulative totals to include pilgrimages made from a pilgrim’s first visit, enabling earlier accumulated trips to be recognised in promotion counts.

Dress and equipment for certified guides are also specified. Appointed guides from the initial rank up to mid‑level wear a right‑hand style kesa; higher ranks (from the acting‑chief level upwards) wear a folded five‑strap kesa on the left. The guide’s staff for certified guides is a single standard type. The association also recognises a child‑guide category for elementary‑school children and a junior guide category for people of middle‑school age through under 20.

Organisation, current officers and commemorative programmes

The pilgrimage is governed by a pilgrimage association with a board of officers and three‑year terms for those roles. The current term runs for three years from Reiwa 6 (starting June 1) through Reiwa 9 (ending May 31). The association chair is the temple No.3, Jigen‑ji. Vice‑chairs are the temples numbered 16 and 13; the secretariat is temple No.2; the treasurer is temple No.19; public relations and web responsibilities are handled by temple No.18.

The association has staged several anniversary and commemorative programmes. Notable recent programmes include: the Shikoku pilgrimage 1,200‑year commemoration in 2014, during which several of the exceptional temples offered special public displays of principal buddhas or Daishi images (among them the temples numbered 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 15 and 17); a leap‑year commemoration (2016–2017) that distributed bonji stickers to those who received nōkyō and sold a commemorative mounting sheet with a badge; and the 50th‑anniversary programme starting in 2018 that included distribution of a golden bonji sange for a defined period and exhibition displays at To‑ji and Mount Koya (To‑ji: July 5–11, 2018; Mount Koya: June 7–9, 2019). From 2021 the association offered a wooden portrait of Kūkai in connection with his 1,250th birth anniversary, and from April 1, Reiwa 4 (2022) the association began offering an illustrated Daishi nōkyō that shows each temple’s origin story in illustration.

FAQ

When was the Pilgrimage of the 20 Exceptional Temples of Shikoku founded?

It was established in 1968 (Showa 43).

How many temples make up this pilgrimage?

The circuit comprises twenty temples.

What is customary after visiting all twenty temples?

Visiting all twenty completes the circuit (ketsugan), and pilgrims commonly make a gratitude visit (orei‑mairi) to Kongobu‑ji on Mount Koya or To‑ji in Kyoto and receive nōkyō there.

How long does a vehicle‑based circuit of the twenty temples typically take?

The association notes a vehicle circuit generally takes about four days, and experienced drivers may complete it in three days.